There are many stories in the Bible that
hold multiple meanings and a lot of times you have to search, or read between
the lines, to see the other meanings.
Sometimes what is obvious to one is hidden to another, and each person
will interpret a story differently. I
think this is beautiful because it not only enables us to see from a different perspective
but it also shows us that the Bible is indeed living word!
I have heard the story of Lazarus many
times. I have read it, heard it preached
in sermon and on television. I felt well
versed in this story until reading it tonight and I noticed something I had not
seen before. I believe this is God
giving me the opportunity to reveal a deeper understanding of himself.
In this story Lazarus is very ill and
Lazarus has two sisters, Mary and Martha.
We have heard of them earlier in the Bible and see the affection that they
have for Jesus but also the affection that he has for them. These two sisters hold a wealth of knowledge
for us, in today’s society. You will
see of these two sisters and their brother mentioned numerous times in the New
Testament.
On this occasion a deep friendship has
already been established and Jesus gets word that Lazarus, who resides in
Bethany, about two miles from where Jesus was is very ill. The sisters were very concerned about the
welfare of their brother and had sent to let Jesus know that Lazarus was ill,
and to come.
When Jesus received the message, as you
can see in John 11:4, he says, this sickness is not going to end in death; but
(on the contrary) it is to honor God and to promote His glory, that the Son of
God may be glorified through (by) it.
Jesus then decided to stay another two days and then return to
Judea.
The disciples were concerned about Jesus
returning to Judea, as not that long ago they were threatening to stone Jesus
for blasphemy, but Jesus was not concerned.
They began their trip back to Judea, and to see Lazarus, where Jesus had
pronounced he was going to awaken him from his sleep. When Jesus used the word Sleep, in this case
He was referring to the death of Lazarus, but the disciples thought Lazarus was
getting some much needed restful sleep to help in his recovery. Jesus then states Lazarus is Dead.
He then goes on to say and for your sake
I am glad that I was not there; it will help you to believe. However, let us go to him. What I have learned in reading the Bible is
you can’t take things for face value.
There is usually another meaning to most things written. In this case, much like others, Jesus was
saying to the disciples, I knew Lazarus was going to die, and I waited another
two days to show glory to my Father, and help strengthen your faith in me.
By now I think we have all experienced
the fact that Jesus will take any opportunity he can to make it a teachable
one.
On the way back to Lazarus, Martha,
heard that Jesus was on his way back and raced out to meet him. When she came upon him she said to Jesus, if
only you were here my brother would not have died. So Martha is proclaiming that Jesus is who he
says he is but in saying if only he was here when Lazarus died, she is limiting
Jesus in her own mind, and the minds of others.
She is saying Jesus, you are too late, and he is already dead.
Jesus then says to Martha, something he
will repeat to Mary, when he meets her on the road to Lazarus, and that is,
Your brother will rise again. Martha
agrees that Lazarus will rise again on resurrection day. Jesus then confirms who Martha has suggested
he is with this statement in John 11:25.
Jesus said to her, I am (Myself) the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, although he may die,
yet shall live.
I believe that Jesus at this time was
giving Martha a hint, saying, Martha, I have this under control. I am Jesus, I am the resurrection and the
Life, and I can handle Lazarus being dead.
Martha then returns home and summons for Mary to come and meet
Jesus. Now, Jesus hasn’t moved and waits
for Mary to come to him. Mary has left
in such a panic that the Jews who were grieving with her have also come out of
worry for Mary.
Mary proceeds to have a very similar
conversation with Jesus as Martha did but this time when Jesus saw Mary sobbing
and the many Jews that had come with her, Jesus also wept. I believe there was significance in Jesus
weeping at this time. I believe that it
showed him to be in fact a gentle man, with profound compassion and a love for
this family.
When they arrive at Lazarus’s tomb Jesus
has asked Martha to remove the stone.
Now, remember, Martha was the one who had limited Faith in what Jesus
was able to do. Jesus would have been
able to heal Lazarus if he was alive but that was the end of her faith. When Jesus asks Martha to move the stone, he
is giving her the opportunity to step out in Faith for his ability. Also, keep in mind this is all happening
around a crowd of people, some believers but many non-believers.
Martha comes back to Jesus with, but
Jesus, he has been in the tomb for four days and he will surely smell. Jesus then says, did I not tell you and
promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory
of God? I think that Jesus took this
moment, to remind Martha of this statement but also to share the truth with the
crowd that has gathered.
When the stone was removed Jesus looks
up to the sky and speaks aloud (John 11:41-42) Father, I thank You that You
have heard Me. Yes, I know You always
hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit
of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send
Me(that You have made Me Your Messenger.)
This was the confirmation that Jesus said to the disciples back in the
beginning of chapter 11 upon hearing of Lazarus’s illness. Jesus knew the entire time that Lazarus was
going to die so He wanted to wait till the process of death was completed and
that Lazarus would have been entered into the tomb, and Jesus would be given
the ability to Glorify God, and his ability to perform Miracles.
Jesus was using this as a teaching
moment. He was taking something that was
extremely painful to a group of people and he allowed them to feel the pain and
sadness of this death and he was going to stretch them in the midst of it. He knew that the Faith of Martha and Mary had
been tested and that when he arrived late to find Lazarus dead they would be
left with no hope. This was his chance
to show believers and non-believers exactly who he is!
Jesus then shouted in a loud voice for
Lazarus to Come Out! And out walked
Lazarus. He was still in his burial
clothes.
Now, obviously, this is a miracle. Jesus has raised a man to life! This is a way for people to begin to believe
in Jesus, whom they did but I thought to myself what about the people who
already believe in Jesus. How does this
pertain to someone like me?
Here’s my thought. This situation does not have to be literal. This could pertain to a dead situation, a
dead dream, and a non-believing family member, death of a relationship or maybe
death of your Faith. In this story is
death of a human but I don’t think it has to be. I think it can be anything that is dead to
you.
If you take that situation that is dead
in your eyes and you release it to Jesus, and believe, truly, believe that
Jesus can breathe life back into your situation, you can have it!
If you go to God and you say God here is
my relationship and I believe Lord, that you can restore this relationship and
build it back up in you and surrender it to God, you are giving God the
opportunity to be glorified in the restoration of the relationship. You are asking Jesus to shout at your
relationship to come walking out alive from the tomb. You are taking a moment that was teachable
thousands of years ago and glorifying God with the chance to bring
new-believers to him, through your new teachable moment.
I don’t believe that Jesus was surprised
for a second during the story of Lazarus.
I believe that Jesus saw the whole picture, a picture that we so rarely
get to see. Martha and Mary entered into
this illness with Hope when they sent for Jesus but by the time Jesus came,
their Hope was gone. They boxed in
Jesus, and Jesus isn’t on board for being boxed in. Jesus will every chance he gets break open
the box. He will prove that there is no
box big enough to contain the ability that he has.
There are many times we box in
Jesus. Many times we think our “Lazarus”
is too big for Jesus, just like Martha and Mary did. We will make the decision for Jesus before we
even give Jesus the opportunity to work.
We will say, nope, this one is too big for even you Jesus; I’ll just
give up and walk away. What happens when we walk away? Do we just walk away and that’s the end of
it? Nope!
What happens is this is an opening for
Satan to continue his attack on your Faith in Jesus. This is an opening for distance to be
developed and the chance for your closeness with Jesus to be severed. Don’t allow this to happen. Don’t you decide what is too big or too small
for Jesus? When you look at your
problem no matter what it is, you remember that Jesus shouted to a man who had
been dead for four days Come Out… and he came!!
You remember that your Jesus, the one that you serve and trust, is the
right hand man of God, the creator of the universe and you come on your knees
with a humble heart and mind and you ask for whatever it is you need. You pray for what you need, for what someone
else needs, for what hurts you. You
give God the chance to answer your prayer and meet your need.
There are always hidden meanings and teachable moments to every story and maybe just maybe Jesus is taking something that’s happening in your life and taking time to teach you something
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